


Venus Flytrap

by SordidCupquake



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:06:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26714191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SordidCupquake/pseuds/SordidCupquake
Summary: The new head archivist has an interesting conversation with their coworker.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Please, Not Now

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very strange AU. None of the characters mentioned in this are actually in TMA, and not everything mentioned is accurate to what happens in TMA. If you're still interested in reading, I hope you enjoy.

June sat at their desk, twiddling their thumbs. It had been a good few days since the incident which had landed them in the hospital, and a feeling had been welling up inside of them ever since. That cold November morning, as they awoke in that dull, colourless room, the first thing they had laid their eyes on was... him. Apparently, the others had been there but left far earlier. Tristan was the only one who stayed behind. June could picture rather vividly the way he looked, chair pulled up to their bed, head resting on his crossed arms, fast asleep. They remembered just sitting like that for a while until he woke up. Everything before and after was so hazy, but that picture was... burned into their head. As well as other things, June thought, picking lightly at the bandages around their hand and arm.  
They drew in a deep breath and leaned back hard. That's when the knock came. Same time. Same pattern.

"Mornin'." Tristan spoke, placing a cup of coffee down on their desk. "It's the way you like, though I don't really get it. Why drink coffee at all if it's just gonna taste like hot liquid sugar?"  
June picked up the mug and looked hard into it. It was the same mug. Which was fine. They were all getting used to the new environment and working together, but they guessed they've had their cup picked out for them. It was okay. It had a unicorn on it. A tad unprofessional, but it didn't mean much to them. "I have an awful sweet tooth." June replied slowly.  
Tristan tilted his head a bit. "More pains?"  
June stopped for a moment. "What... uh... what do you mean?"  
"Just, I noticed you get distant when the burns flare-up."  
They sighed softly. "Don't worry much about it. I can handle my own wounds."

The sipped deeply from their mug. The feeling was getting worse. Maybe they just need some time away from the office? But none of them had been there for more than four or so weeks, so if they were already struggling and needed time off, their boss might suspect them of being lazy, and they didn't want to lose their job. June guessed they just had to deal with it for a while.  
They looked up, away from their computer, a noticed Tristan was still standing in their office. Oh. Yes, conversation.

"So." They said, in some attempt at allowing him to take hold of the conversation.  
"So." He replied, much their to chagrin. It seems he was expecting them to move the conversation forward.  
"Have any plans after work?" They kept their voice dull as if it were a genuine question. Which is was, as far as they knew. June was just... interested in the lives of their underlings. That's it. They could ask Robert the same question. Or even Isaiah. It wasn't weird, or specific to him. Not at all.  
He took a moment to think. "Hmm... well, not really. I don't have much to do after work ever, so I'll likely be free. Why? Do you want to grab dinner with me?"  
The way he said it wasn't in a teasing manner, but it somehow still managed to make their cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. "I mean... I... if you want. I know most of us haven't gotten to know each other much outside of work. So that could be fun."  
"Sure. We can talk more about this during lunch. I still have that file from yesterday to look into."

And with that, he left. Leaving June to once again lean back into their chair, taking in what just happened. They took another sip from their coffee, which was surprisingly still warm. They breathed out slowly and turned their attention back to their monitor. Lunch couldn't come soon enough.


	2. Rather be me With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June and Tristan have dinner.

June traced their fingers along the table in front of them. It was smooth, with a dull sheen, and slightly cool to the touch. Their eyes meticulously scanning its surface, and spotted few, if any, blemishes. It was near immaculate. This place was a wonder. The air in this restaurant was much less stuffy than the air in their office, or in their own home.  
June had been waiting there for Tristan, who had, much earlier in the day, agreed to meet them for dinner. He ended up deciding what place to go to as June didn't go out enough to know anywhere good. Tristan wasn't late. June had shown up twenty minutes early, as they often did. It became a habit some years ago.

Finally, they looked up from the table, and there he was. Walking towards them. June swallowed, gripping at the hem of their sweater.

"Hey. You're early." Tristan noted, taking the seat just across from them.  
"Early is better than late." June replied in a dull tone.  
Tristan chuckled at that, and picked up the menu, giving it a quick glance before placing it down. It seems he already knew what he wanted, whereas they had yet to even touch their menu.  
"Do you come to this place often?" They asked, running a finger along the edge of the flimsy bit of cardboard that made up their menu.  
"No, not really. But when you eat at a place once, it's easy to memorize how good what you had was." Tristan half leaned forward as he spoke, which June took note of, their eyes subtly following his movements. "I have a bit of a discerning palate. And by that I mean, if the food is even slightly good, I will be eating it." June let out a small laugh, though it may have come across as fake. Tristan pulled back slightly.  
"I mostly eat fast food, so I don't know much of restaurants." Tristan pressed his fingers down on the menu in front of them and slid it slightly closer.  
"Give it a look over. You might find something of interest." He spoke with a slight smile.  
June sighed, and picked it up, opening it. Scanning it did little in the way of collecting information. As soon as they recognized one of the meals, they were quick to choose it.

Moments later, a waitress had shown up at their table and took their orders. The meal was fine, though a tad bland for June. Tristan seemed to enjoy it though. They spoke more about their lives before now. It seemed both of them had moved here. June had for the job, Tristan did so just to get away from his family. Though expensive Cali was as a whole, not even including the Bay area which they resided in, it was... much more intimidating than June had imagined. They weren't exactly a country girl, as they grew up in the city. But this place felt much bigger than Columbus. Almost scarily so. He came from Texas, though he hadn't always lived there. June found some interest in how he had moved around.  
All in all, it was... fun. Though June normally wasn't one for the business of emotions, generally speaking, they felt happy.

As they walked out into the parking lot, Tristan offered them a ride home, but they declined, stating their apartment was close by and that the fresh air would be good for them. With that, he drove off. As they watched his taillights disappear down the road, that feeling seemed to well up even more. But why? They shrugged off that thought, and finally started heading home.  
Tonight was eventful.

June lay in bed. Though it wasn't excessively late, feeling anything other than a dull boredom made them feel exhausted. But before they could fully get sleep, their phone buzzed. It was Tristan.

"That was fun. Wanna do it again next Friday? We could go see a movie this time."  
"Sure."  
"Great. It's a date then."

June found themself mouthing that word. Date. Date... were they dating a coworker now? They were too tired to put the proper amount of brainpower into that thought. But, as they rolled over in an attempt to sleep, that feeling of happiness came over them again.  
Best to not dwell on it.


	3. Like The Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June has an encounter with a coworker in the breakroom.

June stood in the breakroom, eyes glued to the coffee maker. They picked absentmindedly at their bandages, white noise filling everything around them.

"Hey." The voice caught them off guard, making them pull too hard on their bandage, almost making it come off. They twisted their form and got an eyeful of one of their coworkers. His slight beard and orange hair was unmistakable. "Uh... are you okay?" He asked.  
"Yes! Um. Sorry, Robert. I was just. Waiting on the coffee maker to finish. So I could have some coffee." They swallowed, knowing well that's not exactly what they were doing.  
"June... the coffee maker hasn't been turned on yet today. Are you sure you're okay? You look pale as a ghost, and the rings under your eyes are darker than I've seen them. Are you getting sleep?" This line of questioning made June shudder slightly as if the frame of their being were being rocked by an earthquake.  
"Long night last night. That's it. Just gotta..." They turned, fiddling with the coffee maker until the light came on. "There. Coffee will wake me up a bit." They couldn't see it, but the look on Robert's face was one of deep concern. He stepped forward, placing a hand on their shoulder.  
"There's no water or grounds in there, June... look, maybe you should head back home? Take a few days to yourself. Me and the rest of the guys will make up for your absence. Please. We don't want another... accident..."  
In that moment, June's skull was bludgeoned with memories of before. What happened to their arm, and the things beforehand. They gritted their teeth. A wave of anger welled up inside them. They turned, ready to bear down on Robert for some godforsaken reason, but as their eyes met his, the anger slowed and burned out. Their eyes began to sting, and as Robert's face only seem to soften, they looked away. "No. No, I'm fine. I just need to get back to work. It's impossible something like that will happen again. Thank you for your concern, but...-" As they began to leave, they were cut off by him.  
"-June... just... take care of yourself, okay?" Robert stepped off to the side, allowing them to walk out of the breakroom.  
June stood in the gap, stopped completely, but still turned away from Robert. "I don't need you to tell me to take care of myself."

With that, they left, straight back to the office. Leaving behind an indignant, but concerned Robert.


	4. When the Lights Come On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The accident.

The fire flicked, almost licking at the cold November air. The smell that pervaded the field June found themself stood in wasn't a bad smell. Though it wasn't exactly great. Most of it was just smoke, but what rode it was the faint scent of burning meat. They stared into the fire as they often did with most fires. It was rather large, and within a distended pit June had dug by hand, which was evident by the dirt that caked them. They weren't entirely sure why they were there, or where they even were to begin with. But that thought never rose above more than an internal whisper. As they watched, they felt their body move forward. Their vision tilted harshly, and the flame came up at them in what felt like seconds. But the pain wasn't quick. The fire wrapped around their arms, moving upwards towards their face and chest. It actually started cold, which they thought was almost funny. Their arms strained slightly though, as they pushed themself backward, and up to their knees just in front of the fire. But everything had gone dark. A cold, inky blackness stretched out all around them.

It felt like they had been sitting on their knees for hours before something happened. But what happened wasn't what they expected. The light in their office was turned on. They found themself, still sitting on their knees, but their arms hung limply at their sides, covered in scorch marks. Burned to hell. June believed they heard someone, but they were focused too hard on the blood which seemed to pool around them. Only one thought managed to swim through their head through the white noise, as they were pulled up by two of their coworkers and carried to one of their cars.

"I really hope I don't get fired for this."


End file.
